Red Box 089 1/72 16th-17th c. Osman Yeniceri Infantry

During the 14th century it is believed that the Ottoman sultan, Murad I, created a bodyguard of infantry which were to be part of his elite household troops and were named 'yeni çeri', or 'new troops'. In English this is written as Janissary, so we will use that form here. The Janissaries were an elite infantry unit - the first professional regular infantry in Europe - and while Ottoman armies were predominantly cavalry forces, the Janissaries were the backbone of the Sultan’s foot warriors. Even when other states started creating their own standing armies, the reputation of the Janissaries remained fearsome, and like many Household troops they tended to be used when the ordinary infantry had already damaged and disordered the enemy, delivering the final blow at relatively little cost but gaining all of the glory. During the 16th and 17th centuries the characteristics of the troops changed greatly, but although they eventually went into decline this long period saw some of their most important engagements.

Specifications

• Contents: 34 figures
• Poses: 14 poses
• Material: Plastic (Medium Consistency)